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Article: Solar cells at $1 a watt?(input output)
- Article from:
- Mechanical Engineering-CIME
- Article date:
- May 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Solar cells, which convert free sunlight into electricity, are the ultimate green technology. Yet until now, even the most efficient solar cells have been far too expensive to compete with conventional power sources without large tax subsidies.
That may be about to change. Over the past few months, venture capitalists have bet hundreds of millions of dollars on a different approach to photovoltaics. Instead of trying to make solar cells more efficient, they have been trying to make them cheaper.
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In fact, at least one company is hoping to sell solar cells for as little as $1 a watt. At this price, they can compete with ...